Sorry if this has been addressed before -- I looked around the forums and only saw issues related to the battery light coming on at high revs....
Anyway, yesterday my battery light started flickering with the engine idling. Within a few seconds of opening the throttle the light goes out. It seems that 1500-2000 rpm is enough to make it turn off. The battery is only about a year old and seems fine -- it reads 12.5V with the engine off, and the indicator bubble on the battery itself says it's charged (though I know that doesn't necessarily mean much). With the engine idling and the battery light flickering I read 12V across the battery terminals. When I open the throttle the voltage jumps to 14-14.5V, depending on whether any lights or accessories are on. When I return to idle it sometimes maintains this voltage (and the battery light doesn't flicker), but it usually drops back to 12V and the battery light goes back to flickering within 30 seconds or so.
I had a bit of corrosion on my negative battery terminal, which I cleaned thoroughly. It made no difference. The drive belt is in excellent condition and the tensioner indicates the tension is fine.
I'm not really certain how to proceed with the troubleshooting from here. My impression is that if the alternator were the problem I'd be seeing the battery light come on at high rpms, not low. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Alan
Anyway, yesterday my battery light started flickering with the engine idling. Within a few seconds of opening the throttle the light goes out. It seems that 1500-2000 rpm is enough to make it turn off. The battery is only about a year old and seems fine -- it reads 12.5V with the engine off, and the indicator bubble on the battery itself says it's charged (though I know that doesn't necessarily mean much). With the engine idling and the battery light flickering I read 12V across the battery terminals. When I open the throttle the voltage jumps to 14-14.5V, depending on whether any lights or accessories are on. When I return to idle it sometimes maintains this voltage (and the battery light doesn't flicker), but it usually drops back to 12V and the battery light goes back to flickering within 30 seconds or so.
I had a bit of corrosion on my negative battery terminal, which I cleaned thoroughly. It made no difference. The drive belt is in excellent condition and the tensioner indicates the tension is fine.
I'm not really certain how to proceed with the troubleshooting from here. My impression is that if the alternator were the problem I'd be seeing the battery light come on at high rpms, not low. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Alan